The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

It's that time of the week again; please let us all know what you have been drinking over the last week. Tasting notes, tasting vibes or just impressions welcome.

Got a small taste of the '04 Bindi Quartz Chardonnay. Some pretty stunning power and intensity on both the nose and the palate, but there was a little bit of heat sticking out on the palate which upset the balance and caused me a touch of concern. It may just need some time to settle and I'll be getting a bottle to give it a chance. 92/100

Others that I've had but haven't had time to write notes on are

Curlewis Chardonnay 2003
Lake's Folly Cabernet 1987
Domaine Bourillon Dorléans Vouvray Demi-sec 1965

2002 O'Leary Walker Adelaide Hills Chardonnay Pinot Noir ( $19 ) :

Very ripe tropical fruits for a sparkling wine.

1995 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay Margaret River ( cellar ) :

Excellent as expected - not at all ashamed to be a full on Chardonnay but not OTT at all either. At peak I reckon. I paid $65 for this on release , then again the receipt shows on the same day I bought a Tiers for $125 !
Excellent match with crayfish salad.

1995 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde ( cellar ) :

Very gentle. Mild blackcurrant fruit. Last glass better than first - however I expected a bit more for the $90 I paid in 1998.

1995 Greenock Creek 7 Acre Shiraz Barossa Valley ( cellar ) :

Amazingly young deep colour. However I do not think this has gained any complexity in the cellar - could taste oak and simple one dimensional cherry fruit. A kind of winey Waiting for Godot as far as any secondary or tertiary characters go. I went to a lot of trouble to make a pheasant pie for this and it was a poor match. A cherry ripe chocolate bar from the local corner shop might have been a better match.

1995 De Bortoli Noble One ( cellar ) :

Deep gold colour now. Good match with blue cheese.

Also a couple of artisan spirits at the end of the night - a 1962 Armagnac and a glass of Eau de Vie de Poire William - these are a good way to finish of an evening of drinking without having to open more bottles of wine following some special bottles that will be hard acts to follow.

All,

Jacobs Creek Cabernet (in a pub before dinner - I never enjoy pub wines, I should learn) - Oxidised and undrinkable.

At dinner, Petaluma Coonawarra Cab Merlot 1990 - Oxidised to buggery! Not happy Jan. Beelgara Pinot Grigio (limited choice at the restaurant) - cask quality, returned for a bottle of Beelgara Gun Shearer's McLaren Vale Shiraz - very little fruit and perhaps a touch too heavy on the SO2.

All round a crap night for wine. The salmon and the lamb were overdone - not a great night for food either.

Just thought I would have a little whinge.

Regards,

Allan

Pelican,

Where do you get your O'Leary Walker from? I've been trying to track them down on the web but not having any luck.

Regards,

Allan

bigkid wrote:Pelican,

Where do you get your O'Leary Walker from? I've been trying to track them down on the web but not having any luck.

Regards,

Allan

From a bottle shop in Adelaide where I live - not sure if it's good practice to mention the shops name on this forum.

The website for the winery is olearywalkerwines.com

Also I did not mention that the wine is named Hurtle after Hurtle Walker who made bubblies around the early 1900's at Auldana according to the back label - Hurtle is a cool name !

Just a brief impression, but I opened a Houghton Gladstones Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 last night, and after a momentary scare (overt coconut oak), the wine settled down nicely to show lots of primary fruits: green olives, red currants, with a lovely fineness of tannin and elegance. I would rate it as excellent, 91 points, and don't think there's any real hurry to drink it.

2000 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz

Purchased a case of this after tasting it at the winery alongside the 1999 release and the 2000 came up trumps. Was very surprised at the time, due to 2000 being a pretty poor vintage in the Barossa across the board, but like any poor vintage there are gems to be found and this was certainly won of them! Decided to open a bottle to see how it is traveling. Not decantered and consumed over dinner while watching another enthralling episode of “24”. Deep red/purple colour. Nose was full of fruit, on the verge of being jammy, (but nothing like the PL Eight Songs we had last month) with a bit of oak in the background. Palate was again full of sweet black fruits, chocolate and spice … my wife picked this as a Barossa shiraz and it certainly showed it. Good balance and weigh and very glugable. The bottle “just” lasted the end of the episode. Will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but definitely a winner in this household. Probably will not get any better but definitely has a few good years ahead of it yet. JO says 2008-2012. I will have consumed all of mine by then!

2002 Majella Shiraz

Not decantered but had over two nights. Deep red. Wonderful nose of vanilla, black-fruits, mint and oak. On the second night the aroma was still kicking and no sign of letting up. Silky, smooth tannins, not much fruit, itÂ’s there but is dominated by a backbone of acid right now. The second night similar story with the fruit receding further into the background. Nice wine but I am not sure where this is going and if it has the fruit to survive the journey? Time will tell. Although I realize it was a tough vintage in Coonawarra, I am still making up my mind if I like Coonawarra Shiraz Â….! Maybe I should try the 2003, especially if it is in the same class as the Cabernet?

2004 Majella Musican

Continuing with the Majella theme. Good quality quaffer. Good to see the Prof. finally releasing a decently priced shiraz/cabernet blend for drinking now. Well overdue .... and screwcapped too!

2001 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Inky red/purple. Dusty/muddy chocolate at first on the nose, followed by some fireplace bricks/char, tomato, varnish, buttery herbs, dried blood and licorice. After a lot of breathing it begins to throw off the toasted oak influences, developing some lifted pepper/mint, iodine/fish sauce and some olive, and rather slender/jammy cassis fruit and a hint of cedar. The mid-weight palate opens with a biting/spicy entry followed by quite slender/tangy fruit finishing with obvious smoky/nutty oak and tannins with fair length. This is a fairly ordinary wine for Wynns, showing some nice oak treatment but ultimately lacking the fruit depth to match it – a relatively early drinking prospect.

2004 Schild Estate Barossa Grenache Mourvedre Shiraz (screwcap):. Dark to inky purple. A young and powerful nose of ripe, bold plum/blackberry fruit, smoke/black pepper, toasted/spicy oak and just the faintest hint of peach/apricot. Likewise the palate opens with the same bold flood of peppery blackberry/plum fruit, with fine tannins throughout the long but slender finish, the 15% alcohol becoming more noticeable with breathing. What can I say, there’s just nothing subtle about Schild Estate’s wines, but somehow they still seem to work.

I also tried Tim Adams' wines at an instore this week and was really impressed with the 2002 Cabernet (minty, velvety fruit and well integrated oak) and 2003 Aberfeldy (smoky palate like the 2002, and a lot more concentration than the 2001).

At a different tasting I was disappointed again with the 2004 Heartland Shiraz (2005 SA Hyatt Wine of the Year) - cool climate fruit cooked to buggery resembling something like Grenache with a bitter aftertaste.

Cheers,
Ian

Thanks Pelican. I've just noticed that Gavin has some of the shiraz in stock.

a

Been drinking some cheapies to decide what to buy more of:

2003 St. Peters Chalambar. (3rd of 6 bottles drunk already).
Lovely. Great for the price ($24 nzd). Very balanced. Good complexity, length, acid. Will add another three or more. Wife commented she loved the smell of this one and she's not a big wine drinker.

2004 Mitolo Jester.
Unsure. Very sweet (not jammy but ...) at first, over-the-top for my tastes. Left it overnight and it settled down a lot, obviously a good wine but maybe not for me? I'm going to leave it a year, maybe just needs time ...

2004 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red.
Horrible. Out of balance. Over-the-top fruit. Artificial. Feels like someones being trying to make wine with a chemistry set. Chris Ringland maybe the winemaker but this seems concocted and confected. I have 11 bottles that I hope the shop will accept back,else it's BBQ wine.

Cheers -- Jay.

deleted

The Nectar Shiraz 2004...very nice, deep in colour and delicious on the tongue...might track down some more.

Neudorf Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2004

Straw. Lovely fresh tropical fruits with hints of passionfruit and asparagus. I thought I could also detect some capsicum lurking in the background, too. Crisp. Lime and minerally finish. Both the 2003 and 2004 of this wine have performed well with some spicy Asian dishes over the last two years.

Casa D'Ambra Biancolella 2004

A Ischia DOC wine, and one of the less known white variety. Now I know why. Gold. Sweetish muted floral nose. Slightly nutty, one dimensional palate. Okay mouthfeel, but absolutely nothing going for this wine when compared to the usual Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs that I drink. Thought I might try a minor white varietal. Hmmm...methinks after this, I had better stick with my Aussie / Kiwi SBs and Aussie / Kiwi / German Rieslings for whites.

Other wines that I had this week at a dinner party with friends include:

- Lindemans Limestone Ridge 1994

- Katnook Estate Cabernet 2001

- Glaetzer Shiraz 2004

I did not take any notes at all, but I do remember the intense blueberry nose of the Glaezter Shiraz. It came after the Katnook Cab, so the fruit was even more noticeable.

Moral of this week: don't waste any more money on Italian whites!

On Friday had me a Champagne tasting which was very interesting. As someone at the tasting stated, it's very much a matter of style and while all the wines exhibited sound winemaking, those that people pointed higher were only because of personal preferences.

Goes to reinforce that when you're buying the proper French stuff, it pays to have an idea of what you like as prestige plays a big part in determining the price of a wine (the cheapest in the bracket was $49.95 i think).

Don't buy a bottle of Pol Roger unless you know you like the style because you could well find something a lot more enjoyable for a lot less - leave the posturising to those who don't know and invest your wine-drinking dollar a little wiser.

Personal preferences... and there may be many a spelling error here as I didnt get spellings off the bottles!

NV Piper-Heidsieck Brut Rose Sauvage
elegant, lingering flavours
NV Tattinger Prestige Rose
fresh, touch of sweetness, citrus and red berry flavours
NV Laurent-Perrier Rose Brut
lime, apple and pear favours, elegant and rouded
NV Mumm Cordon Rouge
touch of sugar, nice mousse, tropical fruit flavours, dry citric finish
NV Billiecart-Salmon Brut Reserve
a real treat, vibrant, upfront acidity, apples and pears, juicy finish
2001 Champagne Duval-Leroy
lovely, aromatic nose, apricot and lavendar characters, lemony finish with great length. not very classical Champagne but still a real treat. wine of the tasting - in a really nice bottle too!
1996 Champagne d'Deveaux
pineapple and citrus flavours, bold and puncy, dry limey finish

Saturday ngiht, had the chance to try the Tarrawarra Tin Cows Pinot Noir 2004 with some lamb I grilled for dinner. Weighing in at a hefty 14% alcohol, the pinot was fairly big and while juicy and showing some strawberry and raspberry nuances, probably displayed more chocolatey and plum characters. Not too varietally correct but still a nice drink.

Also opened a bottle of the d'Arenberg Sparkling Peppermint Paddock Chambourcin. Deep, dark, glass-staining purple, full of fizz and life. Very full-bodied wine especially with the bubbles. Lots of peppery, plum flavours. Something different yet thoroughly enjoyable. d'Arenberg really can't put a foot wrong in my humble opinion.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekends!

cheers
max

Max wrote:Don't order a glass of Pol Roger unless you know you like the style because you could well find something a lot more enjoyable for a lot less - leave the posturising to those who don't know and invest your wine-drinking dollar a little wiser.

I would suggest that if you dont know whether you like the style or not, you should buy a glass to see, then you will know for future decisions!

Shadowood Eden Valley Riesling, 2004, South Australia.

Pale yellow in colour with hints of green. Lemon and lime on the nose. Bracingly dry and crisp, with sharp lime flavours along with some apple. Quite steely but the finish is a little shorter than most Rieslings I have had from this area - would be very refreshing on a warm summerÂ’s day though. Not bad for a cheapie and might benefit short term cellaring, but not one for the long run I feel. Low alcohol (11.5%) compared to many Aussie Rieslings.

Robert Weil Rheingau Riesling, Kabinett Trocken, 2002, Germany.

Very pale yellow colour. Expressive floral nose noticeable at ten paces, with lemony citrus and apple. Very mouthfilling and full flavoured, with strong lemons and very rounded acidity and quite long, say at least 15-20 secs of citrus. Low alcohol at 11%. Slightly less bracing acidity than often encountered in young Australian Rieslings (a little age perhaps?) and strongly lemony as opposed to then often limey citrus of Oz. Lovely wine.

Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage “Les Meysonniers”, 1990, France.

Decanted. Deep browny-red centre to pale brick-red rim. Strong nose of tar, liquorice and dung with a slight hint of portiness. An initial metallic/green peppery flavour disappeared after a couple of minutes to reveal a medium bodied wine with savoury black cherry and redcurrant fruits plus soft tannins and silky-smooth mouthfeel. The flavours were brought out more strongly with smoked chicken. Definitely one for the lovers of the old French rather than the big/fruity Aussie style.

Cheers

Dave

Adam wrote:

Max wrote:Don't order a glass of Pol Roger unless you know you like the style because you could well find something a lot more enjoyable for a lot less - leave the posturising to those who don't know and invest your wine-drinking dollar a little wiser.

I would suggest that if you dont know whether you like the style or not, you should buy a glass to see, then you will know for future decisions!

haha! touche! you raise a very good point!

I guess i was talking more about those guys at a bar who just order whatever because they think it represents class and they dont even like the drink! usually the kind of people who have more money than sense!

i will ammend my previous post to reflect your wisdom!

n4sir wrote:2001 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Inky red/purple. Dusty/muddy chocolate at first on the nose, followed by some fireplace bricks/char, tomato, varnish, buttery herbs, dried blood and licorice. After a lot of breathing it begins to throw off the toasted oak influences, developing some lifted pepper/mint, iodine/fish sauce and some olive, and rather slender/jammy cassis fruit and a hint of cedar. The mid-weight palate opens with a biting/spicy entry followed by quite slender/tangy fruit finishing with obvious smoky/nutty oak and tannins with fair length. This is a fairly ordinary wine for Wynns, showing some nice oak treatment but ultimately lacking the fruit depth to match it – a relatively early drinking prospect.

Tasted yesterday after Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise 2003, the 2001 Black Label blew away the Scrubby Rise in terms of fruit/oak balance and complexity. The fruit was much more evident in the Black Label. I've only drunk Wynns Black Label perhaps a couple of times in the past so I have no reference point for this label but reckon it's pretty good @ $20. Agree that it's not a long-term wine. The case that I've demolished over the last 5-6 months was brick red, not deep in colour and is already integrated. Fortunately, didn't discern any duds.

Cheers

daz

OK...

Fri night: Friends came over and we started on a 2003 Coldstream Bubbly (Pinot Noir). A lovely - if somewhat sweet - drop at $18, with strong pear and honey flavours.

Then down to business with a 95 Wendouree Cab Sauv. Was decanted for two hours and offered a chalky texture (far moreso than the previous bottle I tried) but was still exceptional from start to finish. I have five bottles left so will see how it changes year to year.

Ended up the night with a Saltram No 1 Shiraz, which I know I should cellar but I just can't help myself.

Sat night was a Teusner 2003 "Albert" which I found somewhat cloyingly sweet. Am wondering if this sweetness will diminish over time... (?)

Sunday night was a Winter Creek 2003 "Old Barossa Blend" Grenache Shiraz . This was my first tasting of the WC, and I found it somewhat sweet as well, which completely contradicts the reviews by TORB, RPJ and others. Am wondering if I should have decanted it, or maybe I'm not just familiar enough with Grenache dominated wines.

I am waiting with baited breath for the weekly report from Maximus. From all interim reports I have had, it should be a beauty. Maybe it is the length of time taken to type the report that has saused the delay.

Come on Max, you have had 18 hours.

Jay60A wrote:
2004 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red.
Horrible. Out of balance. Over-the-top fruit. Artificial. Feels like someones being trying to make wine with a chemistry set. Chris Ringland maybe the winemaker but this seems concocted and confected. I have 11 bottles that I hope the shop will accept back,else it's BBQ wine.

Cheers -- Jay.

Jay60A,

This is the ugly side of the current trend to sweeter and more extractive and alcohlic wine. I also found it undrinkable and was able to return the remaining 11.

Chuck

2004 Heartland Shiraz Nice balance and plenty of plummy fruit - best qpr I have had for a while. I have 5 more but may purchase another dozen.

2004 Mr Riggs The Gaffer Shiraz Similar style to the Heartland, but finished alot shorter and was thus less satisfying - still very good qpr though

1996 Tim Adams The Aberfeldy Shiraz Decanted and tried after 15mins and was very austere, I thought it may have been a little past it and had lost most of it's fruit, but after another hour and some swirling of the decanter the wine really opened up to be a beautifully balanced wine with good blackcurrant fruit with some spice, integrated oak and tannins. This is still travelling well and could last another 5+ years in my opinion.

2003 Xabregas Cab Sav Merlot This was my first taste of this years version of a Great Southern wine, the 2002 was one of my bargains of last year at $12pb. I had one glass of this and found it too sweet and a little watery. I have kept the rest of the bottle and will try it tonight to make sure it wasn't just being dwarfed by the Tim Adams.

Dave

No wine this weekend due to a damn migraine

Earlier in the week though I had a bottle of Coriole Sangiovese 2003. One of the best Aus exmapls of this variety with sour cherry and plumbs and fine tannins. Fantastic with salami and tomao ragu. Good food wine

A range of wines over the week due to a bit of socialising.
On friday night 04 Bridgewater Mill Savignon Blanc Pretty average Sav blanc. Definitely proved the reasons to buy NZ. Just find the aussie ones a bill dull and bitter in comparison. Won't be going there again but not really that bad. Pass

Stuck my nose in the 03 Koonunga Hill that was on the table. Overwhelming caramel on the nose but didn't go as far as to taste it. Pass

Saturday night with Thai had a 98 Tyrrells Belford Semillon. Not as nice as I was hoping, after buying 6 of these. Very strong lemon flavours throughout. This is a reasobaly recent release but no bottle age to speak of with just the primary lemon fruit flavours. Might give the rest a few years to wait for those toasty, honey flavours to come through. This is a good wine but I guess I was hopeing for a bit more development. Credit

Sunday was my mum's 60th birthday and we went down to Nove at Woolloomooloo Bay with the family and friends. Not a BYO unfortunately so we went with the Torbreck Woodcutters Semillon. A good wine but not jumping out at me that much. A bit of lemon but maybe a little too tart or bitter for my likeing. Pass.

I had been saving a 1945 Penfolds Grandfather Port (bottled 1969) for this very occasion and thankfully the management allowed me to bring this along despite not being BYO. After Bruscetta, pizzas, pasta and chocolate ricotta cake, this went down exceptionally well. It was brought out as a surprise at the very end and got quite a bit of attention from the staff who didn't usually see wine this old. Opened very well and while full of sediment from the shakey car trip, it wasn't too bad at all. It was showing it's age and was quite a dusty brown colour with red highlights but obviously plenty of age. Lots of caramel, toffee and a bit of tea with the more usual porty flavours. Plenty of alcohol noticeable but not too hot. I suspect the bulk of these would have been drunk in 1995 to celebrate 50 year old birthdays. It probably would have been better then with a bit more fruit showing. It was fading but was certainly still drinkable. If you come across one of these, now is the time to find a 60 year old friend and drink it with them! Certainly a crowd pleaser for not only the novelty value but the experience of drinking a wine the same age as the guest of honour. Very high Credit.

Deano wrote:The Nectar Shiraz 2004...very nice, deep in colour and delicious on the tongue...might track down some more.

Is this the Red Nectar made by Troy Kalleske?

Chuck wrote:

Jay60A wrote:
2004 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red.
Horrible. Out of balance. Over-the-top fruit. Artificial. Feels like someones being trying to make wine with a chemistry set. Chris Ringland maybe the winemaker but this seems concocted and confected. I have 11 bottles that I hope the shop will accept back,else it's BBQ wine.

Cheers -- Jay.

Jay60A,

This is the ugly side of the current trend to sweeter and more extractive and alcohlic wine. I also found it undrinkable and was able to return the remaining 11.

Chuck

Hi Chuck -

Thought I should give a thumbs up to Caros in Parnell (Auckland) who immediately agreed to take back the undrunk bottles of the Pillar Box Red ...

Nice to hear you shared my views. Can't help but wonder if Parker just saw the name Ringland and popped on a few (15 perhaps?) points, or am I just too cynical in my youth . I'm aware we all have different tastes but I find it hard to see this as a 90 point wine .

Currently I'm quaffing Thorne Clarke Shotfire Ridge 2003 which is a snappy little number, actually tastes of grapes instead of winemaking.

I have to say the knowledge on this forum is just awesome ... great depth and *balance* of knowledge on both the smaller/upcoming producers and established producers.

Jay.

2003 Tim Adams Shiraz. Alright, lacked a bit of fruit but certainly not to a fault.

1998 Taylor's St. Andrews Riesling. Yum. I didn't take any notes, but...a cracking mix of young and old riesling characters: citrus and sherbert with a very slight hint of kerosine.. Still has a bunch of acidity holding it together. A very, very slight sweetness creeping in, and no cork taint. I thought this was a beauty. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a long, intense length.

1994 Wynns Shiraz I have had a few different vintages of this wine with quite a number of years on them that have helld up very well. Not this one unfortunately. Red with a fair amount of bricking, leather and cigar box on the nose but most of the fruit was gone from both the nose and the palate. Still pleasant enough to drink though.

2002 Serafino Cab Sav First taste of a 6 pack I picked up recently. Purple with red rim, herbs, capsicum, berrys. Good length with nice chalky tanins and lively acid. Plenty of berry fruit and no real cabernet hole. Recomended and should improve in the next couple of years.

Glen

Had a great Sunday but it may be costly in the long term

1994 Tim Adams Aberfeldy

Had this one courtesy of Ric and this is by far the oldest bottle of wine I have ever consumed. It was amazing. The wine was so smooth and rich with fine tannins barely noticable in the background. One of the best wines I have ever had and makes me realise exactly what can be acheieved with careful cellaring. Unforunately now this has opened my eyes I have determined to start building a cellar - hence the costly part

2002 Majella Coonawarra Cab Sav

Lovely wine which was a good follow on from the Tim Adams. Lucious fruit with a smooth finish and great length. Found out that one of my parent's friends is a rep for Majella so will be looking to get a few bottles to start my cellar.